Executive Board

Yessenia Gomez is a police officer with the MIT Police Department. She is a RAD Instructor and a Sexual Assault Investigator. Prior to working at MIT, Mrs. Gomez was an officer at Wellesley College for 10 years. She was a dispatcher/911 operator in the Town of Wellesley and a Probation Case Specialist at Dedham District Court.

Mrs. Gomez is of Salvadoran descent and migrated to the U.S. when she was 9 years old. She is a proud graduate of Chelsea High School. She attended the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she attained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice/sociology. She holds a Master of Science degree in criminal justice: emergency management and crisis intervention from Lasell College. 

Mrs. Gomez is a passionate reader and enjoys spending time with family. 

Mr. Richard Pomales began his law enforcement career in 1987 with Natick Police Department as the first Latino officer for Natick PD and the first full-time Latino officer for the Metrowest Area. After 2 ½ years with Natick Police Department, he then transferred to Framingham Police Department, where he still remains.

Mr. Pomales has held several positions within the department, such as Commander of Street Crime Unit, First Commander of the Metrowest Drug Task Force, Sub-Station/Community Police Officer, and his current assignment as Sergeant.

He currently holds a longtime position on the Framingham Police Athletic League Board of Directors. He is a member of the class of 2000 Metrowest Leadership Academy. Past recipient of MADD Officer of the Year and 2015 American Legion Officer of the Year.

Mr. Pomales holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England University.

Luis Tarraza was born in Puerto Rico where his father joined the Army.  After living all over the world his father settled down in Massachusetts where Luis graduated from Springfield Central High School.  Luis enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after and was sent to California for his tour of duty.  After being Honorably discharged Luis went and earned his bachelor’s degree at Emerson College. 

Luis is currently a Sergeant with the Chelsea Police Department where he’s been working for the last 13 years.  He is also a certified Defensive Tactics Instructor.  

When not working Luis enjoys spending time with his family, reading books, and listening to music. 

Christopher Santiago has worked in the field of higher education for the past 27 years and has experience in the areas of Admissions, Athletics, Residence Life, and Public Safety. During this time, he has served eight different institutions (Mount Ida College, Simmons University, Keene State College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Colby-Sawyer College, Boston College, Wheaton College, and Thomas College) while advancing his law enforcement career from patrolman to Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police. He currently serves as the Director of Safety & Security at Thomas College in Waterville, ME, where he continues to pride himself on community policing, student engagement, and crime prevention/crime awareness education. Chief Santiago is passionate about the development of young people, whether they are: the students he serves, the staff he supervises, colleagues from across his institution, or colleagues across our profession. He is a proven leader who puts others before himself, allowing his compassionate decision making to do what is in the best interest of all parties. Chief Santiago believes very strongly in leadership and mentorship, and conducts himself in a selfless manner to excel at both on a daily basis. Chief Santiago has been a member of the Massachusetts Latino Police Officers Association since its inception in 2012 and has proudly served it’s Executive Board in the positions of Clerk, Vice President, Executive Vice President, President, and now as it Senior Advisor.